Infra-red devices

Abstract

We disclose herewith a heterostructure-based infra-red (IR) device comprising a substrate comprising an etched portion and a substrate portion; a device region on the etched portion and the substrate portion, the device region comprising a membrane region which is an area over the etched portion of the substrate. At least one heterostructure-based element is formed at least partially within or on the membrane region and the heterostructure-based element comprises at least one two dimensional carrier gas.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]This disclosure relates to micro-machined thermal infra-red (IR) devices. Particularly but not exclusively the disclosure relates to heterostructure-based IR emitters and IR detectors with tailored and electrically tunable optical properties.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE[0002]It is well known how to fabricate thermal IR emitters. Such devices typically consist of a resistive micro-heater embedded within a thin membrane and supported on a substrate. When current is passed through the heater, it heats up to a high temperature (which can be as much as 700° C. or even higher), and at this high temperature the device emits IR radiation.[0003]A large number of designs with IR emitters have been reported. For example, Parameswaran et al. “Micro-machined thermal emitter from a commercial CMOS process,” IEEE EDL 1991 reports a polysilicon heater for IR applications made in CMOS technology, with a front side etch to suspend the heater and hence reduce power consumption. Si...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The disclosed devices are better than current technologies because they have customizable optical properties for different applications. They also have electrically tunable optics, which allows them to detect multiple gas species or to create hyperspectral imagers. These devices use a heterostructure-based design, which minimizes the impact of electromigration and allows for sensitive temperature sensing. Additionally, the devices have a thermal isolation scheme which reduces power dissipation, improves sensitivity, and enhances thermal dynamics. The use of through silicon vias also enables 3D stacking techniques for more efficient system design.

Problems solved by technology

One limitation of many of these devices is that their emissivity is not optimal and specifically for the emitter, there is the possibility of electro-migration of the metal layer.

There is also little control over the emission at specific wavelengths.

While all these designs are made to optimise the emission spectrum of the surface, these devices do not have an efficient mechanism for heating up.

Either the heater is based on a metal layer at the back surface or need to be coupled to an external heater, which can result in very high power consumption.

Unlike conventional miniaturised IR emitters, none of these devices are based on a membrane to isolate the heat and reduce power consumption.

While these designs will have lower power consumption due to the use of a membrane for thermal isolation, making holes through most of the membrane layers requires extra process steps, and can also structurally weaken the membrane as many of the layers, including the silicon dioxide layers, are perforated.

Such suspended structures are less stable than full membrane structures.

The Seebeck effect causes a slight voltage difference across each thermocouple, resulting in a much large increase in voltage difference across the thermopile which is the sum of the voltages across each thermocouple.

Furthermore, the disclosure benefits from the employment of a heterostructure-based device comprising a two dimensional carrier gas configured to operate as a heating element (i.e. for heat generation) as in such element electromigration will not be as influential as in other metallic- and semiconducting-based heating elements.

However, the back-etching can also be done by using anisotropic etching such as KOH (Potassium Hydroxide) or TMAH (TetraMethyl Ammonium Hydroxide) which results in slopping sidewalls.

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